In 2012, it took him just a shade under four minutes to find the checkerboards.
One year later, he sliced that time by more than half, needing just one minute and 28 seconds to locate the end zone.
Needless to say, Alabama junior wide receiver Amari Cooper doesn’t like to wait around to make an impact when the Volunteers are lined up on the other side.
During the Crimson Tide’s last trip to Neyland Stadium — a 44-13 Alabama win on Oct. 20, 2012 — the then-freshman Cooper reeled in a 23-yard touchdown grab on the Crimson Tide’s second drive — part of a 162-yard, two-score outing that propelled Alabama to its third straight win in Knoxville.
That riveting performance rolled over into last season’s matchup at Tuscaloosa’s Bryant-Denny Stadium. On Alabama’s third offensive snap, the 6-foot-1, 210-pound Cooper corralled an A.J. McCarron screen pass and glided 54 yards to the end zone, bolting past a horde of UT defenders in the process.
Cooper’s five-catch, 75-yard showing handed the Crimson Tide a 45-10 victory over Tennessee — Alabama’s widest margin of victory in the series since 1963.
“Just another overall, complete receiver,” said sophomore cornerback Cameron Sutton, who’ll be locked up with Cooper when the No. 4 Crimson Tide travel to Knoxville this Saturday. “He plays well in the system that they run, great hands, great speed, can make the big plays throughout the course of the game. He’s definitely a big part of their offense and definitely a big part of their team.
“They work around him even when teams are doing things to try and stop him. He’s able to free up other guys around him on the field and get them open as well. Like I said, he works well in that system, and he makes a lot of plays for them.”
Cooper’s jaw-dropping performances, however, have extended well beyond his two career matchups with the Vols. In 2014, the Miami native has racked up at least 100 receiving yards in five of Alabama’s seven contests, the latest of which came in last Saturday’s 59-0 demolition of then-No. 21 Texas A&M.
On just eight catches, Cooper snagged a pair of touchdowns and accounted for 140 yards through the air, making him the nation’s fourth-leading receiver in terms of yards gained (908).
“He’s a guy that if you just step him off the line and throw it out there to him, he can really make some people miss, accelerate and just outrun some guys,” UT defensive coordinator John Jancek said Wednesday.
“He’s fast. He’s extremely quick. He’s athletic. He’s got great ball skills. He can stop on a dime. He can start on a dime. Really just a dynamic player. I mean, he’s awesome.”
As was the case in his two previous matchups against UT, a solid portion of Cooper’s 2014 highlights have been monumental gains — plays that gash an opposing defense with authority and often conclude in the end zone.
This season, five of Cooper’s seven touchdowns have covered at least 20 yards, including a 79-yard score versus Florida which currently stands at the fifth-longest reception in the SEC this year.
“He’s one of the best players in the country,” head coach Butch Jones said Monday. “He’s dynamic. He’s explosive. He can do it all. He can run the deep ball. He can run the intermediate routes. He can catch in advance. He’s proven his skill set, and he’s proven it over time in this league with making plays. So it’ll be another challenge in and of itself.”
